Temporary Marker

ABSTRACT

Apparatus and methods for a temporary marker are described. The temporary marker can be made at home by a user having basic computer and printing capabilities, without the need for commercial printing or design equipment. The temporary marker consists of a synthetic sheet of paper that can be fed through a home printer and mounted between two sheets of hard, transparent material. The two sheets of hard, transparent material attach to one another with the sheet of paper secured between. A stake is then added to the two sheets of transparent material so that the temporary marker can be secured into the ground. Also, computer software may be provided that allows for easy formatting and input of various texts and images to be printed onto the paper.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims a benefit of priority based on patentapplication 61/934,112, filed Jan. 31, 2014. the entire contents ofwhich are hereby expressly incorporated by reference into the presentapplication.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates in general to the field of grave markers.More particularly, the present invention relates to a temporary markerthat can be used to mark a grave until a gravestone is installed.Specifically, a preferred embodiment of the present invention relates toa temporary marker that can be custom made at home using computersoftware and a weather resistant, waterproof paper that is compatiblewith a home printer.

2. Discussion of the Related Art

It is well known that graves are marked by headstones identifying wherea deceased comes to rest. However, oftentimes, these headstones taketime and effort to make. Additionally, there is typically a period oftime between a funeral and installation of a headstone for a variety ofreasons. During this time period, it is common to install a temporarygrave marker that identifies who has been buried at a given location.Traditionally, these temporary markers can be purchased from the funeralhome or another manufacturing service provider equipped with heavy-dutyprinting equipment. Typically, the temporary markers include text suchas the date of birth and date of death and even include an image of theloved one. However, purchasing a temporary marker from a funeral home ormanufacturing service can be expensive. These markers can also betime-consuming is they are made to order.

This has resulted in a demand for do-it-yourself-style temporary markerproducts. Some do-it-yourself-style temporary marker options includemetal slide-in letters; handwritten markers that are then laminated;printing markers to standard paper and laminating; and printing markersto an adhesive vinyl. One drawback to the do-it-yourself-style temporarymarker products is that the qualify of the final product is generallylow. For instance, metal slide-in letters are formalistic and lack thepersonalized touch that individuals wish to use on grave markers ofloved ones. When using regular paper or vinyl, there is still the riskof fading due to exposure to the sun. Also, vinyl has a tendency tobubble when applied to the surface. Additionally, as temporary markersremain outside, they may be subject to rain, snow, and othercondensation, which can cause any images printed on regular paper tosmear, run, or wrinkle. Use of laminates requires advanced machinery andstill do not guarantee that the paper will be isolated from water. Tohonor a loved one, individuals obviously want to avoid temporary markersthat are low quality or would be easily damaged by the elements.

What is needed therefore is a product that allows for creation ofcustomized temporary markers in the convenience of one's home usingequipment commonly found in a household. Additionally, what is needed isa product of high quality that is weather resistant.

SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

By way of summary, the present invention is directed to a temporarygrave marker. A primary object of the invention is to provide all of therequired pieces of a temporary grave marker, such that an individual canprepare, print, and assemble a customized grave marker in the comfort ofone's home. Ideally, this will be completed using one's personalcomputer and a standard home printer for instance a laser jet printer.

In accordance with a first aspect of the invention, these objects areachieved by providing an apparatus comprising two sheets of a hard,transparent material, a sheet of synthetic paper, a plurality offasteners, and a stake. A personalized message is printed onto thesynthetic paper using a laser jet printer. This synthetic paper is thenplaced between the two sheets of transparent material. The sheets arefastened together such that the paper is secured between the two sheets.A stake that allows the apparatus to be placed into the ground attachesto one, or both, of the sheets.

In one embodiment, the personalized message contains text and an image.The personalized message may be created using computer software thatallows a user to insert relevant information, such us the deceased'sname, date of birth, date of death, and an image of the deceased. Thecomputer program will automatically configure these input materials suchthat each will fit on the sheet of synthetic paper. The computer programthen can send the personalized message to a standard home printer, suchas a laser jet printer. The synthetic paper is special in that it isthin enough to fit through such a printer. The synthetic paper may havepre-made perforations that allow a user to easily detach a portion ofthe paper such that it fits appropriately between the two sheets.Ideally, the two sheets of material will be made of acrylic, and bothsheets will be of the same dimensions.

In accordance with a second aspect of the invention, these objects areachieved by a method of generating a personalized temporary markercomprising the steps of providing an input to a printing system;printing a personalized message onto a sheet of synthetic paper; placingthe sheet of paper between two sheets of hard, transparent material thathave a plurality of holes; and attaching the two sheets together withthe sheet of synthetic paper in between. This can be done at home usinga personal computer and a home printer. Additionally, the two sheets canbe attached by punching a plurality of holes through the sheet of paperusing the holes in the sheets as guides; inserting a plurality offasteners into the holes through the paper and the two sheets ofmaterial; mounting a stake to the fasteners; and tightening thefasteners. In one embodiment, these fasteners are nuts and bolts. In analternative embodiment, the stake can be clipped or snapped to the twosheets of material.

In one embodiment, the synthetic paper is of the same dimensions as thetwo sheets of material. This helps to create an aesthetically pleasingfinal product with flush edges. The synthetic paper may be waterproofand may include a UV protective coating to protect the paper fromsmearing or fading due to the weather.

In accordance with a third aspect of the invention, these objects areachieved by a method of manufacturing a temporary marker using a homeprinter comprising the steps of providing a computer software; inputtinga set of information that is processed by the computer software;configuring the information so that it is contained within the temporarymarker; printing the information onto a sheet of paper; placing thesheet of paper between two rigid, transparent sheets of material; andconnecting the two sheets of material with the paper in between. In oneembodiment, the paper is a synthetic paper that is thin enough to be fedthrough a laser jet printer.

In accordance with a fourth aspect of the invention, these objects areachieved by a kit for making a personalized temporary marker comprisinga computer software used to design a personalized message; a sheet ofsynthetic paper onto which the personalized message is printed using anlaser jet printer; two sheets of transparent, hard material betweenwhich the sheet of synthetic paper is held; a plurality of fasteners tohold the two sheets of transparent, hard material together; and a stakethat connects to at least one of the fasteners. In one embodiment, thiskit is sold online.

These and other aspects and objects of the present invention will bebetter appreciated and understood when considered in conjunction withthe following description and the accompanying drawings. It should beunderstood, however, that the following description, while indicatingpreferred embodiments of the present invention, is given by way ofillustration and not of limitation. Many changes and modifications maybe made within the scope of the present invention without departing fromthe spirit thereof, and the invention, includes all such modifications.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A clear conception of the advantages and features constituting thepresent invention and of the construction and operation of typicalmechanisms provided with the present invention, will become more readilyapparent by referring to the exemplary, and therefore non-limiting,embodiments illustrated in the drawings accompanying and forming a partof this specification, wherein like reference numerals designate thesame elements in the several views, and in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a method of generating a personalized waterprooftemporary marker;

FIG. 2 illustrates a method of manufacturing a personalized, temporarymarker using a home printer;

FIG. 3 illustrates a personalized message printed on a sheet ofsynthetic paper for use with the inventive temporary marker;

FIG. 4 illustrates the personalized message of FIG. 3 mounted betweentwo sheets of hard, transparent material;

FIG. 5 illustrates the two sheets of material being fastened togetherwith the sheet of paper in between;

FIG. 6 illustrates a stake being mounted to one of the two sheets ofmaterial;

FIG. 7 illustrates one of the fasteners being tightened to complete thetemporary marker; and

FIG. 8 illustrates a kit used to create a personalized temporary marker.

In describing the preferred embodiment of the invention which isillustrated in the drawings, specific terminology will be resorted tofor the sake of clarity. However, it is not intended that the inventionbe limited to the specific terms so selected and it is to be understoodthat each specific term includes all technical equivalents which operatein a similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose. For example, thewords “connected”, “attached”, or terms similar thereto are often used.They are not limited to direct connection but include connection throughother elements where such connection is recognized as being equivalentby those skilled in the art.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention and the various features and advantageous detailsthereof are explained more fully with reference to the non-limitingembodiments described in detail in the following description.

1. System Overview

The present invention involves a temporary grave marker that iswaterproof and in full color and can be printed and assembled in auser's house without use of commercial printing equipment or having toship items back. This eliminates high freight costs. Such a grave markeris used until a permanent grave marker is available. As permanent gravemarkers are made to order and often are made of stone or metal, it oftentakes time for these permanent grave markers to be ready forinstallation. The temporary grave marker includes a stake; twotransparent sheets, such as acrylic; waterproof/weatherproof paper; anda fastener or attachment devices. The paper is used with digitalprinters such as digital or laser printers. In using a digital printer,the image is printed onto the paper and ink is made waterproof with thepaper. Additionally, the paper may include a UV protective coating thatprevents fading of the image that would otherwise occur due to theeffects of sunlight. The paper is placed between the two sheets andattached together. The stake may be attached to the brass bolts.Alternatively, the stake may slide into a plastic injection-moldedbracket that will clip into holes on the two transparent sheets,eliminating the need to include brass bolts. Once fully assembled, thestake holds the marker in the ground with the paper bolted between.

2. Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments

The assembled inventive temporary marker 20 can be seen in FIG. 7. Thetemporary marker 20 is made of two sheets of hard, transparent material22; a sheet of synthetic paper 24 with a personalized message 30; aplurality of fasteners; and a stake 48. The two sheets of hard,transparent material 22 protect the sheet of synthetic paper 24contained within, and allow observers to read the message 30 provided onthe sheet of synthetic paper 24. To ensure the temporary marker 20 isaesthetically pleasing, the two sheets of the hard, transparent material22 should be of the same dimension such that the temporary marker 20 isflush around each edge.

The sheet of synthetic paper 24 contains a personalized message 30,which may include text 32 and images 34 as shown in FIG. 3. In oneembodiment, the text 32 includes the name of the deceased individual,the date of birth of the deceased, and the date of death of thedeceased. Additional text may be present such as Biblical verses, poems,or other short messages. Furthermore, the sheet may also include images34 such as a background image and/or an image of the deceased. Theseimages 34 can be generated using a computer program that allows a userto input a desired text 32 or image 34. The computer program thenformats the input information and prepares the information for printing.This computer program is compatible with as personal computer and has aneasy-to-use interface such that no design background is required for theuser to generate the personalized message 30.

In one embodiment, the synthetic paper 24 may be a synthetic paper thatis waterproof. As the temporary marker 20 will likely be placedoutdoors, it will be exposed to varying weather such as rain and snow.Without a waterproof sheet of synthetic paper 24, there is risk that thepersonalized message 30 will smear or otherwise be ruined if exposed tomoisture. Additionally, the synthetic paper 24 may contain a UVprotective coating 26. The UV protective coating 26 will prevent thepersonalized message 30 from fading due to the sunlight. This willfurther ensure that the personalized message 30 remains of high quality.The synthetic paper 24 may be thin enough such that it can be fedthrough a home printer 36, for instance a laser et printer 38 as isknown in the art. Many types of paper that are waterproof and UVprotected are thicker, or require special types of ink such that thepaper cannot be used with home printers. This type of synthetic paper 24is convenient for users in that they do not have to send away for theprinting, or visit a specialty printing store to receive a printedpersonalized message 30 that is resistant to water and UV damage. In theevent that the dimensions of the two sheets of hard, transparentmaterial 22 are smaller than that of the synthetic paper 24, thesynthetic paper 24 may have pre-made perforations that allow thesynthetic paper 24 to be easily divided into the appropriate size suchthat it its cleanly within the two sheets of hard, transparent material22.

The sheet of synthetic paper 24 is placed between the two sheets ofhard, transparent material 22 as seen in FIG. 4. The two sheets of hard,transparent material 22 are then fastened together as seen in FIG. 5.Any number of different fasteners 42, connectors, or other attachmentdevices may be used. In one embodiment of the inventive temporary marker20, the fasteners 42 are standard nuts 41 and bolts 40. Alternatively,the two sheets of hard, transparent material 22 may be fastened usingclips, snaps, or other fastening devices as would be known in the art.The synthetic paper 24 may have pre-made perforations that can easily beremoved. Alternatively, holes may be punched through the synthetic paper24 using the holes 23 in the two sheets of hard, transparent material 22as guides. In some embodiments, the fasteners may need to go through thesheet of synthetic paper 24.

A stake 48 is then connected to the fasteners, and more specifically thebolts 40 as shown in FIGS. 6-7, allowing the temporary marker 20 to besecurely placed into the ground. Alternatively, the stake 48 may clip orconnect directly to the sheets of hard, transparent material 22 or theholes 23 in the sheets of hard, transparent material 22. The stake 48may be made or a variety of materials, including, for instance, metal orplastic.

Also, a kit 60 as seen in FIG. 8 may be provided for making theinventive temporary marker 20. The kit 60 includes computer software 62that may be installed onto the user's personal computer. The computersoftware 62 allows the user to input text 32, such as a deceased's name,date of birth, and date of death, or images 34. The computer software 62then formats the input text 32 or images 34 into a personalized message30. The kit 60 also includes a sheet of synthetic paper 24, onto whichthe personalized message 30 is printed. For instance, the personalizedmessage 30 can be printed onto the synthetic paper 24 using a laser jetprinter 38. Also included in the kit are two sheets of a hard,transparent material 22. The sheet of synthetic paper 24 with thepersonalized, message 30 is placed between the sheets of hard,transparent material 22. The kit 60 may also include a plurality offasteners which allows the two sheets of hard, transparent material 22to be mounted together, for instance by fasteners 42. Furthermore, thekit may include a stake 48 that can be mounted to the two sheets ofhard, transparent material 22 or to at least one of the fasteners. Thekit 60 may be sold online.

A method is also provided for generating the personalized waterprooftemporary marker, as shown in FIG. 1, comprising the steps of providingan input to a printing system 100; printing a personalized message ontoa sheet of synthetic paper 102; placing the sheet of paper between twosheets of hard, transparent material that have a plurality of holes 104;and attaching the two sheets together with the sheet of synthetic paperbetween 106. In one embodiment, the two sheets are attached together bythe steps of punching a plurality of holes through the sheet of paperusing the holes in the two sheets of material as guides 110; inserting aplurality of fasteners into the holes through the paper and the twosheets of material 112; mounting a stake to the fasteners 114; andtightening the fasteners 116. The fasteners may be a plurality of nutsand bolts 120. In another embodiment, the two sheets are attached by thesteps of clipping a stake to the two sheets of material with the paperin between 122.

To ensure that the paper and the two sheets of hard, transparentmaterial properly align, the sheet of paper may be of the same dimensionas the two sheets of material 124. The sheet of paper may be a syntheticpaper that is waterproof 126. Additionally, the sheet of paper may havea UV protective coating 128 to prevent fading due to sunlight. Thisallows the temporary marker to be resistant to rain and sunlight.

For added convenience, in one embodiment, the personalized message canbe printed onto the sheet of paper using a home printer 130. In analternative embodiment, the personalized message can be printed onto thesheet of paper using a laser jet printer 132.

A second method is provided for manufacturing a personalized temporarymarker using a home printer, as shown in FIG. 2, comprising the steps ofproviding a computer software 140; inputting a set of information thatis processed by the computer software 142; configuring the informationso that it is contained within the temporary marker 144; printing theinformation onto a sheet of paper 146; placing the sheet of paperbetween two sheets of hard, transparent sheets of material 148; andconnecting the two sheets of hard, transparent material with the papertherebetween 150.

In one embodiment, the sheet of paper is a sheet of synthetic paper thatis thin enough to be fed through a laser jet printer 160. The syntheticpaper may be waterproof 162. Additionally, the synthetic paper may havea UV protective coating 164 to protect it from fading.

In one embodiment, the two sheets of hard, transparent material may beconnected by screws 166, Alternatively, the two sheets of hard,transparent material may be connected by snaps 168. Alternatively still,the sheets of hard, transparent material may be connected by a stakethat clips to the sheets of hard, transparent material.

Although the best mode contemplated by the inventors of carrying out thepresent invention is disclosed above, practice of the present inventionis not limited thereto. It will be manifest that various additions,modifications, and rearrangements of the features of the presentinvention may be made without deviating from the spirit and scope of theunderlying inventive concept.

What is claimed is:
 1. A temporary marker comprising: two sheets of ahard, transparent material; a sheet of synthetic paper with apersonalized message placed between the two sheets of hard, transparentmaterial; a plurality of fasteners connecting the two sheets of hard,transparent material; and a stake that is releasably attached to atleast one of the two sheets of hard, transparent material.
 2. Thetemporary marker of claim 1, wherein, the personalized message containsa text and an image.
 3. The temporary marker of claim 2, wherein thepersonalized message is designed using a computer software thatautomatically configures the personalized message to fit on thesynthetic paper.
 4. The temporary marker of claim 3, wherein, thepersonalized message is printed onto the synthetic paper using a homeprinter.
 5. The temporary marker of claim 3, wherein the personalizedmessage is printed onto the synthetic sheet using a laser jet printer.6. The temporary marker of claim 5, wherein the synthetic paper has a UVprotective coating.
 7. The temporary marker of claim 1, wherein the twosheets of hard, transparent material are acrylic and are of identicalsize and shape.
 8. The temporary marker of claim 1, wherein theplurality of fasteners are nuts and bolts.
 9. A method of generating atemporary marker comprising the steps of: providing an input to a homeprinter; printing a personalized message onto a sheet of syntheticpaper; placing the sheet of synthetic paper between two sheets of hard,transparent material that have a plurality of holes; and attaching thetwo sheets of hard, transparent material together with the sheet ofsynthetic paper located therebetween.
 10. The method of claim 9, whereinthe two sheets are attached by the steps of: punching a plurality ofholes through the sheet of synthetic paper using the holes in the twosheets of hard, transparent material as guides; inserting a plurality offasteners into the holes through, the paper and the two sheets ofmaterial; mounting a stake to the fasteners; and tightening thefasteners.
 11. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step ofattaching the two sheets of hard, transparent material together with thesheet of synthetic paper located therebetween using a plurality of boltsand a plurality of nuts.
 12. The method of claim 9, further comprisingthe step of attaching the two sheets of hard, transparent materialtogether with the sheet of synthetic paper located therebetween byclipping a stake to the two sheets of material.
 13. The method of claim9, further comprising the step of aligning the sheet of synthetic papersuch that the sheet of synthetic paper is flush with the two sheets ofhard, transparent material.
 14. The method of claim 9, furthercomprising the step of printing a personalized message onto a sheet ofsynthetic paper that is waterproof.
 15. The method of claim 9, furthercomprising the step of printing a personalized message onto a sheet ofsynthetic paper that has a UV protective coating.
 16. The method ofclaim 9, further comprising the step of printing a personalized messageonto a sheet of synthetic paper using a home printer.
 17. The method ofclaim 9, further comprising the step of printing a personalized messageonto a sheet of synthetic paper using a laser jet printer.
 18. A kit formaking a temporary marker comprising: a computer software used to designa personalized message; a sheet of synthetic paper onto which thepersonalized message is printed using a laser jet printer; two sheets ofa hard, transparent material between which the sheet of synthetic paperis held; a plurality of fasteners to hold the two sheets of hard,transparent material together; and a stake that connects to at least oneof the fasteners.
 19. The kit of claim 18, wherein the kit is soldonline.
 20. The kit of claim 19, wherein the synthetic paper iswaterproof.